US Senate confirms Gina Haspel as CIA's first female director

US Senate confirmed Gina Haspel as the director of the CIA on Thursday, despite opposition stemming out of her involvement in the brutal torture of terror suspects.

For the first time in the history of the United States, the CIA will be led by a female director.

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency secured 54 votes against 45, with half a dozen opposition Democrats bucking their party and supporting the controversial Haspel’s nomination.

“Congratulations to our new CIA Director, Gina Haspel!” tweeted the president, who has described her as exceptionally qualified.

Congratulations to our new CIA Director, Gina Haspel! pic.twitter.com/n1xj9LSV9D

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 17, 2018

Two Republicans also voted against her, while Republican Senator John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, also opposed her nomination but could not vote as he is in Arizona battling with brain cancer.

The 61-year-old Haspel, a Russia specialist who spent her career in the clandestine service, takes over from Mike Pompeo, whom Trump recently made his secretary of state.

Though Haspel is widely respected as a disciplined, non-political field agent, analysts cite her role as manager of a secret prison in Thailand to confront the appointment as the spy chief.

But with her past suddenly in the spotlight, she endured a contentious confirmation process during which lawmakers criticized her work following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when she oversaw a secret prison in Thailand.

In the Thailand black site, Al-Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri were water-boarded and the technique was widely condemned as torture.

Haspel pledged to lawmakers that she would “never ever” take the CIA back to enhanced interrogation techniques.

Trump had openly supported Haspel, saying she was facing the flak because she was too tough on terrorists.

My highly respected nominee for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, has come under fire because she was too tough on Terrorists. Think of that, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, who Democrats want OUT because she is too tough on terror. Win Gina!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2018

"Under my leadership, CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program." said the lady.

Sources: daily Pakistan, PakistanToday